MFA

What we call film music is a language of signs. It speaks to us through a multitude of musical gestures that, over time, have come to have meaning for the audience. As with any system of signs, the sender must be competent in their use to convey messages that are clear and cogent. This course is an introduction to the vocabulary of music for the screen. In it, you will learn the language of screen scoring through a series of visual music exercises and assignments in writing for short scenes of different media types and genres.

MFA504 Description: The platform for music composition and production in visual media is the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). In this course, which will employ Apple’s Logic Pro X as its model DAW, you will learn about the most widely used tools and explore topics such as MIDI sequencing/programming, MIDI editing, use of MIDI CC’s (continuous controllers) and articulation sets, building of templates, basic digital signal processing, and the precise synchronization of music with picture. In addition, you will become familiar with the full array of Virtual Instrument (VI) libraries.

Maurice Ravel, acknowledged as one of the greatest orchestrators in musical history, distinguished instrumentation from orchestration by saying that the orchestrator painted the colors around the individual instrument in such a way that these colors became more important than the identity of the instrument itself. The analogy to painting is fitting: works like Daphnis et Chloe and Mother Goose Suite are highly visual and textured in a way that can almost be felt. This course will put Ravel’s musical paintbrush in your hands. In addition to orchestration techniques, you will also learn the fundamentals of score preparation, notation, and engraving to prepare you for the live recording sessions that will occur at key stages of the program.

MFA514 Description: The “mock-up,” a digital simulation of an acoustical/orchestral performance, was once just a demo used to show the client/filmmaker one’s intent and obtain approval of the music prior to live recording. With the extraordinary advancement in the quality of digital instrument libraries, what was once a demo now frequently becomes the final product and the critical medium by which the composer communicates intent to the filmmaker. In this course you will develop the skills to create these digital products to meet the high standards of production and authenticity currently expected in the industry.

“Find your voice” is the imperative given to every student who enrolls in the Master of Fine Arts program. It is not always a straightforward process, as you must hone, winnow and polish to clear away what is merely imitative and arrive at something truly original. This is what the industry demands. In intensive individual sessions, your work will be critiqued and shaped in order to bring out the gold of your own personal identity.

Material assigned in MFA511 will be recorded in a series of sessions held in Nashville.

In this course, you will work with indie game developers at the Media Design School and other selected locations to create music for these adaptive, interactive experiences. You will be involved, as most top game composers are, from concept to completion of short, model game projects for which you will write the music, record it in session, and then, as a music designer, implement it in middleware, and work with the team to integrate it with the game engine to produce a final integrated product. Just as in the earlier Screen Scoring modules, where the musical and dramatic challenges posed by individual short scenes or sequences served as exercises in development of your craft, you will work in short-form so that your finished work can furnish pieces for your portfolio.

In this third and final in the technology sequence, the focus will be entirely on the emerging craft of music design, the integration and implementation of the linear musical elements provided by the game composer into the game engine via what is known as middleware. In-depth exploration of platforms such as Wwise and FMOD, as well as the vast creative possibilities for creating immersive experience in non-linear media.

Material assigned in MFA521 Screen Scoring III to be recorded in remote/virtual recording sessions conducted in Europe but monitored by students and staff in Atlanta.

This advanced composition class will pair you with a group of young independent or advanced student filmmakers to collaborate on the scoring of a selected series of short films that are either festival-bound or have been featured on the festival circuit. From spotting to scoring and mixing, the course will model professional practice at every stage. The resulting scores will be professionally recorded in the capstone quarter on a selected European scoring stage with students in attendance. All sessions will be filmed and scores professionally mixed. Recording is expected to take place over an extended period in the designated country.

The media composer who is also able to conduct his or her music will not only have an extra measure of creative control over the outcome of their recordings, but may become eligible for additional earnings as a hired studio conductor. In preparation for the capstone recording sessions in the EU in MFA 536, all students will undertake this workshop and thereby gain the competence and confidence to conduct your summative piece.